December 2015 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Maggi Young]

Does my heart good to see you Southerners getting these flowers as we  fade into winter!

You might  prefer your  plant to be tighter, t00lie, but you've no complaints as to the fine   chunky flower heads - I've seen plenty of these plants with  rather sparse flowers.

[Lesley Cox]

I just had a lovely electronic card from a Forumist, Santa being helped by elves to fill the sleigh before setting off on the long journey south (we being the first to have Christmas Day I can't help thinking how wonderful it would be if only Christmas shopping were so simple. I did quite a lot of shopping yesterday and was feeling happy with that but then had to ask two separate lots of shop people how to get out of the mall I was in. (I don't go there very often) after wandering about like an idiot, up and down escalators, round in circles and generally getting lost, though I found a couple of places I didn't know were in Dunedin and may go back there later. The shop assistants were very nice and really didn't let me see that they thought I wasn't fit to be out on my own.

I also did the thing I swore I would never do, and bought a smart phone, so no doubt will be spending some time with Susan for private coaching!

[Maggi Young]

Last time I spent any time in an Aberdeen mall was with Hilda Toole! Not today nor yesterday!  There's a big "new" mall, that I have no idea about at all - must get there one of these years.....

[Lesley Cox]

December is proving to be the month in which all the irises which were supposed to be out for NZIS Convention a month ago, are actually flowering. Still, it's good to have them leading up to Christmas. These few seedlings are first, a sibirica x forrestii hybrid, a metre tall and really beautiful. The next are seedlings from  x Chrysofor (chrysographes x forrestii) or rather, seedlings from seedlings of the clone called 'Roy Elliott,' a long time Editor of the AGS Bulletin and whom, many years ago I corresponded with (from the age of 17) so was a humble student at the feet of a great master. He sent me many small plants in those far off days, among them Corydalis cashmiriana and from that tiny scrap the size of my little finger nail, all the plants in NZ originated. It was part of a parcel of what he called my wedding present so must have arrived in late 1965! Happily it is well established here now
x Chrysofor varies in shading, the amounts of yellow and purple and in the spotting and veining so it's good to have quite a group. All are interesting to my mind and I could pick a good bunch right now but am wanting the seed so will leave them. One flower tends to come out before the last is collapsed so they tops look a bit dishevilled sometimes.

[Lesley Cox]

A mixed bag from here on, two fillers among bearded irises but both proving to be good, showy plants for early summer, Helianthemum tuberaria (called something else now I think) and an ochre coloured osteospermum, badly frosted in the winter but has come away nicely.

Then the first of my two big old washtubs, both very successful so far. In the first picture are Silene acaulis alba, Anchusa caespitosa, Saponaria lutea in seed and Campanula zoysii x pulla, all threatening to swamp each other. The Saponaria is covered in a good crop. Crocus leaves too, of the 'Chocolate Soldier.'

Silene acaulis alba, then Aquilegia discolor, also seeding well.

[Lesley Cox]

Two of Senecio candicans, which I absolutely love for its snow white felted leaves and golden  flowers. Imagine it with a rocky background and South Atlantic waves crashing on the shore and around the plants.

One of my favourite plants for its scent, Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile.' Then the old Rosa 'Alberic Barbier' and Dianthus 'Pretty.'

[ashley]

Lovely plants there Lesley, all looking very happy.
I think that first x Chrysofor is particularly nice.

[t00lie]

Last time I spent any time in an Aberdeen mall was with Hilda Toole! Not today nor yesterday!  There's a big "new" mall, that I have no idea about at all - must get there one of these years.....

I mentioned your comment to Hilda earlier Maggi as she was going out the door to walk 'Monty' and she grinned and replied 'I still remember our little 'rootle' around the shops'.......and a big bag each of pic and mix lollies .........

[t00lie]

My offering at the moment isn't as colourful as Lesleys latest posting ....

I call this view ' hostage in the garden '.
Sort of an annual battle between Arisaema ciliatum verse Codonopsis forrestii ........ Nobody wins,they both end up flowering and return to do it all over again next season and the next , the next , the next ......

[Lesley Cox]

Some more irises now.

Iris sibirica 'Moonsilk' x 2
Iris sibirica 'Penny Whistle'
Iris tectorum, Burma Form x 2. The flowers on this form are quite a lot large than on my "ordinary" blue, and deeper, richer blue with a wonderfully lacy crest, snow-white and all of a centimetre high, a lovely iris, lurking here among glaucidiums.

[Lesley Cox]

Clematis recta 'Purpurea' had wonderfully purple foliage earlier in the spring but as the flowers developed, the leaves turned to green. It needs a rigid hoop to hold it upright but the fluffy flowers are pretty.

Nomocharis species, from the ACE expedition. It is the spottiest one I have and I think the seed came from JW in NS.

This little Polygonatum species came from a local garden centre but to them from a local small nursery. No-one here knows what it is so I'll post it on the Poly thread and hope for a result. The flowers are just a centimetre long and less than half that wide, the whole plant about 30 cms high and very airy. It looks as if it should be scented, but isn't.

And I would like to know what this little bearded iris is. It came to me (where from?) as a dwarf bearded called 'Silken Blue' but is neither silken nor blue, quite definitely purple. And though it IS a dwarf bearded iris, it flowers so much later than they do, late Nov through Dec instead of Sept/Oct

[Jupiter]

Lesley, thanks for sharing with us. Wonderful selection, I too love the Iris x Chrysofor, and the Nomocharis...  ~~

T00lie I like your Arisaema battling with the Codonopsis. Two beautiful plants battling it out.. like mud wrestling for plant people. 

[Lesley Cox]

Sombre things now. In spite of their almost sinister colours, I like these dark flowers very much. The closer to black, the more I like them.

Papaver somniferum in a very dark purple form. This year, I suppose because we've had so much rain through October and November, it is flowering at 6 feet high! I almost need to climb on a chair for a picture. But the winds of recent days are thrashing the tall stems about so that they get caught in my hair when I walk up the garden path.

I have several almost black tall bearded irises, this one is 'Anvil of Darkness.'

A gorgeous clematis called 'Romantica' which seems an odd name for so dark a flower. x 2

Another black tall bearded iris, 'Old Black Magic.'

[Parsla]

Those Iris chrysofor crosses really are the business Leslie. Beautiful|

The polygonatum could possibly be P. cirrhifolium - Lynn McGough was offering an orange-flowered variety at one time. The leaves are also akin to P. curvistylum, but in that case the flowers would be pink. Just a thought...

A few offerings.

1. Lilium davidii. These were much taller lilies last year - little short of 1 m high, whereas these are only 40 cm tall with a mound of fine foliage. Possibly too crowded? They came from Marcus Harvey. He said that he was at one time selling them to Rockpool in Sydney, where they ATE the bulbs. At least that is how i recall it.

2. The morning sunlight setting off the green tinged mophead clusters of Hydrangea arborescens
'Annabelle"

3. A dark arisaema from Don Teese. Unfortunately I am not sure of the species. It looks a little like Dave's A ciliatum, but perhaps a little lighter in colour?

4. I may have shown this before? Hydrangea macrophylla 'sumida no hanabi' fades to pale pink.

jacqui.

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks for note about the Polygonatum Jacquie. I mean to post in that thread but have become diverted by falling and braking my left little finger in two places. It was x-rayed this morning and is now strapped to the next one for at least 6 weeks, then an assessment to see if the pieces have gone back to their proper places. If not, surgery.

I think A. ciliatum and A. consanguineum hybridise readily as from my original two, I now have many that seem intermediate in colour, striping and height as well as leaf conformation. Perhaps yours could be a hybrid?